Belief Objects

Belief Objects was a video interview project exploring how individuals define their belief systems. It emerged in post-9/11 New York City, shaped by the atmosphere after George Bush’s second election. During that time NYC was being used as a symbol to give the conservative government moral authority to influence the national election and justify war, while New Yorkers’ voices were largely absent from the conversation.

The project participated in the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Swing Space artist residency located just blocks from the World Trade Center site. Interviews were conducted with day workers, Financial District residents and the local faith community in a neighbourhood directly affected by the attacks on September 11.

Through Belief Objects we aimed to gather voices on topics that were being politicised, creating room for nuance and the range of thought held within this small, strong and diverse community.

The project then moved to Brooklyn College with a second residency through the Brooklyn College Community Partnership at the Brooklyn College Art Lab (BCAL), an after-school arts resource for high-school youth in Flatbush. Using BCAL as the hub, interviews continued with participating teens and members of surrounding neighbourhoods. We were struck by how many students had never been to Manhattan, a two-dollar subway ride away. This revealed the layers of access and belonging, the many cities that exist inside this one city. We began to notice how themes from earlier interviews traveled across these internal borders and sparked new conversations. This was when we started creating shorter edits and launched the blog.

Sample video below, Devlin Shea & Blithe Riley, 2007